Refrigerator-freezer unit

Abstract

A refrigerator-freezer unit including a machine room, a cold room, pillars for the machine room, pillars for the cold room, and a frame disposed between both rooms and having fittings which can connect the top portion of each machine room pillar and the bottom portion of each cold room pillar. Since the rigidity of the cold room pillars can be increased by connecting the pillars to the fittings of the rigid frame, the torsion and deflection of the pillars can be prevented even when external forces operate on the cold room. Moreover, since the parallelism of the cold room pillars can be maintained by the increase of the rigidity, a simple structure for the attachment of a guide plate, using only engagement mechanism without screws, can be easily employed, thereby making the attachment and removal of the guide plate easy and quick.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A refrigerator-freezer unit comprising: a lower machine room for a refrigerator;   an upper cold room for cooling goods and positioned generally above said lower machine room;   vertical machine room pillars associated with said lower machine room, said machine room pillars having machine room pillar top portions;   vertical cold room pillars associated with said upper cold room, said cold room pillars having cold room pillar bottom portions substantially connected to said machine room pillar top portions; and   a frame disposed between said machine room and said cold room, said frame having a plurality of fitting means onto which both said machine room pillars top portions and said cold room pillar bottom portions are fitted.   
     
     
       2. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said machine room and said cold room are shaped as quadrangles, respectively, in their horizontal cross sections and said machine room pillars, said cold room pillars and said fitting means are disposed on the four corners of said quadrangles, respectively. 
     
     
       3. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said fitting means are formed as a vertical tube. 
     
     
       4. The unit according to claim 3 wherein said fitting means extend upwardly from the upper surface of said frame, said top portion of each machine room pillar is inserted into the inside of each of said fitting means, and said bottom portion of each cold room pillar is fitted onto the outside of each of said fitting means. 
     
     
       5. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said top portion of each machine room pillar and said bottom portion of each cold room pillar are screwed to each of said fitting means. 
     
     
       6. The unit according to claim 5 wherein a stepped portion is formed in each of said fitting means and at least one of said top portion of each machine room pillar and said bottom portion of each cold room pillar has a portion vertically engaging said stepped portion and a portion vertically projecting from said engaging portion and having a screw hole for a screw. 
     
     
       7. The unit according to claim 5 wherein a vertically extending through slot for a screw is defined on each of said fitting means. 
     
     
       8. The unit according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said machine room pillars and said cold room pillars are positioned in the vertical direction by bringing their end surfaces into contact with one of the inner surfaces of said fitting means and the surface of said frame. 
     
     
       9. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said cold room pillars are constructed from a plastic. 
     
     
       10. The unit according to claim 1 further comprising: a bottom plate for said cold room provided between said cold room and said machine room and having an opening through which cold air passes from said machine room to said cold room;   engaging means on at least one of said cold room pillars; and   a guide plate disposed on the portion of said opening for guiding cold air from said opening to the inside of said cold room, said guide plate having at least one first engaging portion which engages an edge portion defining said opening and at least one second engaging portion which engages said engaging means.   
     
     
       11. The unit according to claim 10 wherein said engaging means are provided on two adjacent cold room pillars, and said guide plate has said second engaging portion on each side thereof. 
     
     
       12. The unit according to claim 10 wherein said guide plate has a side plate on each side thereof. 
     
     
       13. The unit according to claim 10 wherein said engaging means has an upwardly opening groove and said second engaging portion is inserted into said groove. 
     
     
       14. The unit according to claim 10 wherein said engaging means comprises a hole formed by cutting away a part of a side wall of said cold room pillar, and said second engaging portion is formed as a hook-like shape inserted into said hole. 
     
     
       15. The unit according to claim 10 wherein said edge portion defining said opening extends upwardly.